Framing structure for a discharge outlet



July 10, 1956 G. B. DOREY FRAMING STRUCTURE FOR A DISCHARGE OUTLET 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10. 1953 IN V EN TOR. BY Geogefi flarey,

July 10, 1956 G. B. DOREY FRAMING STRUCTURE FOR A DISCHARGE OUTLET 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 10, 1953 INVENTOR. 660/376 15 flo/"c y, M W

July 10, 1956 G. B. DOREY FRAMING STRUCTURE FOR A DISCHARGE OUTLET s Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 10, 1953 IN V EN TOR. (Aw/ye 15. [7 mg ilnited States Patent FRAMING STRUCTURE FOR A DISCHARGE OUTLET George B. Dorey, WestmountyQuebee, Canada, assignor to Enterprise Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application February 10, 1953, SerialNo. 336,145

' 6 Claims. (Cl; 105-282) This invention relates to an improved framing structure for the discharge outlet of a railway car hopper having a sliding gate for closing the hopper opening.

The objects of the invention, among others, are: To provide a bordering frame structure at the discharge opening of a load containing hopper wherein the main supporting members for a sliding gate include commercial rolled angle members to provide continuity of support for the gate in closed and opened position; to provide clear and unobstructed access to an operating shaft and pinion gear assembly; and to this .end' the present'invention contemplates the use of a discharge'chute as a part of the frame structure and the spacing of the same appreciably from the shaft; to provide a sliding gate movable by a rotatable operatingshaft having supporting bearings of U shape whereby the shaft and bearings may be readily removed or inserted without the necessiy of removing the pinion gears or handles from the shaft; to provide an outlet frame structure havingv guide plates below the gate and a'chute-like extension apertured to accommodate said guide plates therethrough; and to provide a self-contained chute-like extension below the opening havingan outwardly facing .beading which acts as a retainer to maintain a covering envelope over thechute.

For further comprehension of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a hopper showing the improved framestructure applied thereto, said view showing the operating handle broken awaytobetterillustrate the parts;

Figure 2 is a plan viewof the structure shown in Figure 1 with .the hopperfloor plates omitted in order to better illustrate the details of construction;

Figure 3 is an endsectionalelevational view of the structure shown in Figure l as seen on a line 3-3 thereof;

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the frame assembly asseen on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is .a fractional. vertical-sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 1. showing one of the shaft journals;

Figure 6 is a fractional vertical. sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 1 and showing .one side of,the frame structure adjacent the chute with the related parts of the gate in section; and

Figure 7 is a fractional vertical sectional view taken through the lower portion of the structure with an enclosing canvas in place, said v-iew being taken on a line corresponding substantially to line 77 of Figure 1.

In said drawings the hopper is shown as including oppositely sloping end Walls 10 and 11 and inner and outer side walls as indicated at 12 and 13, respectively. The inner side wall 12 is substantially vertically disposed and the outer wall 13, like the end walls 10 and 11, extends downwardly at an angle to direct lading to a discharge opening. The walls 10, 11, 12 and 13 lead to a discharge opening 14 which is adapted to be closed by a sliding gate 15, said gate 15 being movable beneath the end Wall 11 to open position.

The gate 15 is supported by a framing structure 16 which borders the discharge opening 14 and includes inner and outer side rail members 17 and 18 which, in cooperation with a similar end rail member 19, forms three sides of the framing structure 16. The rail members 17, 18 and 19 are in the form of rolled structural angle shaped members each including an upwardly extending flange 20 which overlies the corresponding hopper wall and an inwardly laterally extending flange 21 which forms the support for the gate 15. The flange 20 of the rail member 18 has a portion 20', Figure 4, which is deformed outwardly to conform to the slope of the outer side wall 13.

' The side rail members 17 and 18, as shown in Figure 2, extend lengthwise beyond the discharge opening 14 a suflicient distance to support the gate 15 in open position. There are thus provided continuous and uninterrupted supporting ways for the sides of the gate 15 throughout. its entire range of movement.

The side rail members 17 and 18 are united to the end rail member 19 by welding as indicatedat 22. The side rail members 17 and 18 are further tied transversely by means of a foursided chute like extension 23 lying below the rail members and an upper transversely extending angle shaped member 24 disposed in inverted relation above the gate 15 to presentone flange 25 underlying the sloping end wall 11 of the hopper and having the adjacent flange 26 extending substantially normal to ,the end wall to form a reinforcement and shield. It will be noted that the flange 25 is spaced above the extension 23 to provide an opening 25' through which the gate 15 slides to open and closed position. The transverse member 24 is weldedto thesides of the frame at 27 and 28.

.The chute like extension 23 includes sloping sides 29 and substantially horizontal flanges 30 which fit against the undersides of the laterally extending flanges 21 of the side and end rail members. The flanges 30 are extended to project slightly beyond the rail members as indicated at 31 in Figure 6 and. are welded thereto as shown at .32.

The gate 15 is provided at each side with guide plates 33 whichextend beneath the inwardly extending lower flanges 21 of the said rail members 17 and 18 and the gate is' thereby restrained against upward displacement. Guiding apertures 34-34 are provided at each side of the gate 15 in the end transverse sloping wall 29 of the chute adjacent the .open end of the frame structure as shown in Figure 3 for the accommodation of the guide plates 33 therethrough.

The gate 15 is provided on its underside with a series of rack teeth 35v and cooperating therewith is a pair of geared pinions' 3636 which in turn are non-rotatably mounted on, and secured by rivets 36' to, anoperating shaft 37, the latter being in journal bearings shown generally at 38 and disposed at the-respective sides of the gate. The shaft 37 is preferably of square or non-circular cross-section and circular hubs and 40 are provided adjacent the respective ends of the shaft 37 to form circularly shaped journals. The hub portion 39 forms a part of an operating handle or head 41, a portion of which only is shown in Figure 3 since the same may be of any desired form to provide a purchase for an operating bar (not shown). The hub port-ion 39 includes a flange 42 to prevent axial movement of the shaft 37 in one direction. The hub 40 preferably consists of a circularly shaped sleeve 43 having a flange 44 to limit axial movement of the shaft 37 in a direction opposite to that permitted by flange 42 of hub portion 39. The hubs 39 and 40 are secured in place on the shaft by means of countersunk rivets 45.

The journal bearings 38 for the shaft 37 are preferably of strap formation 46 bent to present a U-shaped seat 47 within which the hub portions 39 and 40 of the shaft 37 are received and at each side of the seats 47 there are provided attaching Wings 43. The U-shaped seats 47 are attached to angle brackets 49 by means of bolts 50.

Each bracket 49 is of angle shape and includes flanges 51 and 52, the former being welded at 53 to the up standing flange of the related side rail. The adjacent flange 52 extends laterally outwardly to receive the supporting bearings 46. The supporting bearings 46 are spaced appreciably lengthwise from the chute extension 23 thereby leaving a clear space between the shaft 37 and the chute proper and thus permitting ready access to the shaft 37 and pinions 36 for breaking away any ice or hardened lading which often times adheres to the teeth of the gearing. With the chute 23 thus separated from the operating mechanism, there is exposed an uninterrupted outer contour to the chute which can be readily enclosed by tar paper or canvas and to this end a beading 54 extends along the lower margin of the chute to retain a cord or tensioner 55 around an enveloping canvas 56 as seen in Figure 7.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a load containing hopper having a discharge opening and a sliding gate for the opening, a framing structure bordering the opening and including ways supporting the gate in opened and closed position, said ways includ ing rolled structural angle shaped members disposed with one flange extending upwardly and secured to the hopper and the adjacent flange underlying the gate, and a foursided chute separate and distinct from and secured to the underside of the underlying flanges of the angle shaped members, said chute being disposed below the opening and having its lower margin defining the final discharge outlet.

2. In a foursided load containing hopper including side and end walls leading to a discharge opening and a sliding gate for the opening, a frame structure bordering the opening and forming supporting means for the gate in closed and opened position, said structure including side rail members of rolled structural angle shape having one flange underlying the gate and the adjacent flange extending upwardly and secured to the side walls of the hopper, and a funnel shaped chute separate and distinct from and disposed below the opening to define the boundaries of the final discharge outlet, said funnel including laterally extending wall sections disposed flatwise against the gate supporting flanges of the side rails and secured thereto.

3. In a load containing hopper having a discharge opening and a sliding gate for the opening, a framing structure bordering the opening, side rail members of rolled structural angle shape for supporting the gate in opened and closed position, said rail members including one flange underlying the gate and having the adjacent flange extending upwardly and secured to the hopper, said gate having at each side thereof guide plate members extending below the gate and underneath the respective one flange to prevent upward movement of the gate, and a chute-like structure separate and distinct from and secured to the underside of the rail members and defining the final discharge outlet, said chute member being apertured to accommodate the guide plates therethrough.

4. In a load containing hopper having a discharge opening and a sliding gate for the opening and means for moving the gate including inter-engaging rack teeth and geared pinion means on the gate and hopper respectively for moving the gate by rotation of the pinion means and a shaft for non-rotatably supporting the pinions whereby the gate is moved by rotation of the shaft, a frame structure bordering the opening, said frame including side rail members of angle shape with one flange secured to the hopper and the adjacent flange forming supports for the gate in closed and open positions, a chute-like enclosure secured to the lower flange defining the final discharge opening, and bearings for the shaft carried by the frame at each side of the runways, said bearings and chute being spaced lengthwise from each other to provide an unobstructed intervening space between the shaft and chute.

5. In a load containing hopper having a foursided dis charge opening and a sliding gate for the opening, a frame structure bordering the opening, said frame structure having sides overlying the hopper and adjacent one end of the opening said frame being apertured to accommodate the gate therethrough, said frame on three sides being formed of rolled structural angle shaped members disposed with one flange extending upwardly to overlie the hopper walls and the adjacent flange of the respective angle members extending inwardly laterally to form ways for supporting the gate in closed and opened position, and tying means extending transversely between the side members above and below the gate to respectively form the upper and lower margins of the aperture, said tying means above the gate including an inverted angle shaped member and said member below the gate consisting of a foursided chute-like member welded to the angle shaped members.

6. In a load containing hopper having a discharge opening and a sliding gate for the opening, a framing structure bordering the opening including side rail members of angle shape each disposed with one flange secured to the hopper and the adjacent flange of the respective members being inwardly directed towards each other and forming ways for supporting the gate, and a chute secured to the inwardly directed flanges of the rail members, said chute defining the final discharge outlet and having an outwardly directed beading adapted to form a reinforcing means for the walls and to receive a gripper for a weatherproof sealing envelope overlying the outlet of said chute.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 822,183 Chamberlain May 29, 1906 1,377,545 Barks May 10, 1921 2,142,236 Campbell Jan. 3, 1939 2,222,280 Batho Nov. 19, 1940 2,638,060 Dorey May 12, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 119,612 Great Britain Oct. 10, 1918 

